One of the coolest exhibits at the Calgary Zoo is the hippo exhibit. I don't think I've ever been to a zoo that allows you to get this close to one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. Their enclosure includes the paddock that they are on in my picture as well as a large swimming tank where you can get right up to the glass while they are swimming.
The hippo in this picture has a bit of a wound above his eye, the zookeeper said he had been acting up a bit earlier and got that little cut as a result from the other hippo.
Here are both of the hippos chilling out on their paddock.
The zookeeper said that when the zoo flooded a few years ago, both the hippos escaped and had free reign over the zoo for a few days. Being such large animals they aren't easy to recapture and the zookeeper said their only method for getting them back in was to lure them around the zoo with food. I can't even imagine a hippo roaming around Calgary, I'm glad they got them back in safely!